Military Vehicles of the Galaxy
All armies support their infantry with a diverse array of military vehicles, used for transportation, combat, or other purposes. Military vehicles may or may not be armored, and are classified into separate types according to function. Some of the more prominent military vehicle designs are listed here. Ground Vehicles Armoured Fighting Vehicles M109 Yamabushi Main Battle Tank The M109 Yamabushi is one of the most common and most enduring tank designs in the galaxy. The first models entered service with the SOS Imperial Armed Forces at the height of the Great Crusade in the 30th century, replacing the M59 Ashigaru and M71 Sohei MBTs; while the majority of Yamabushis were withdrawn from most front-line service in the late 32nd century, the last models did not leave the SOS Imperial Guard reserves until the early 34th century. Like the Byzantine Varangian Rus and the Bragulan Kyrbrz, the Yamabushi has been progressively upgraded over the centuries to keep it competitive with newer, more technologically sophisticated armored vehicles. M109s are a common staple of small planetary defense forces throughout the Koprulu Zone. Two of the more notable users of the M109 are the micronations of East Gallia and West Gallia, where it is known as the Edelweiss; West Gallian Edelweisses are among the most radically modified of all M109 variants, fitted with improved armor, improved electronics, and a mixture of modern Bragulan and Solarian weapons. MBT-105 Granix Main Battle Tank The Centrality's main battle tank, the Granix has served the Central Army faithfully for the last six decades, progressively upgraded during its time in use. Designed to have the best possible balance between firepower, protection, and mobility, the Granix MBT was also developed with the assembly line in mind, with huge numbers produced across the decades. This does not include the multiple variants derived from the Granix chassis, which are considered separate vehicles and thus are not included in MBT production figures. The Granix can be armed with various weapons, such as mass drivers, plasma cannons, or even missile launchers, depending on the situation. The overall quality of the Granix depends on the unit using it; Central Guard and elite Army and Marine units have the latest and best models, the average Marine unit has above-average marks, and the Army has only basic models. Because of this, the Granix is used differently by each service, with the Army relying on sheer mass, the Marines on speed and firepower, and elite forces on daring tactics and sensible strategy. Mudlord Heavy Tank The Mudlord Heavy Tank was a family of tanks employed by the Barbarians during the Barbarian Wars. The Mudlord was in fact one of over thirty widely produced Barbarian tank models, though it eventually became the most common. The standard main armament of the Mudlord was a 165mm cannon firing rocket assisted shells, as well as two 25mm autoguns (one coaxial, one on a remote-operated weapon station atop the top turret) and twelve Bastard-family lasers on sidemounts. The Mudlord had a top speed of 50km/s on road and required a crew of 5. One of the most unusual design features of the Mudlord was that its hatch was located in the rear of the vehicle, which allowed the chassis to be used as the foundation of the Mudbeast line of APCs. Multiple variants existed, as was typical of Barbarian designs in general; depending on the specific variant, a Mudlord could weigh anywhere from 195 to 230 tonnes. Like most Barbarian equipment, the Mudlord was designed to be produced cheaply with marginal equipment. It was a fairly simple task to retool civilian factories to produce these vehicles, which was one of the reasons why they became popular. In engagements with Alliance armored forces, the Mudlord could be quite formidable due to its durability, though its Alliance counterparts (mainly using Pitbull Main Battle Tanks and the Treemon Light Tank) were faster, often had superior crews, and had better logistical support because of standardization. Mudlord production survived the fall of the Barbarians, and the design became fairly common among various planetary governments in and around RAR! Space. RCT-100 Huron Rapid Combat Tank SWT-50 Dominus Strategic War Tank Self-Propelled Guns SPA-129 Daxus Self-Propelled Artillery SPAA-120 Stromo Sefl-Propelled Anti-Aircraft Armored Personnel Carriers/Infantry Combat Vehicles Combat Wombat In 2215, the Zorian firm of Legion Motors produced the Wombat universal utility truck. Rugged and reliable enough to impress even a Bragulan, the six-wheeled Wombat was designed for use by first-wave colonists. The design was quite successful, being employed by hundreds of colonization ventures, particularly those in and around RAR! Space. Wombats could handle rough terrain and had cabins with full life support that could carry up to twelve tonnes of cargo, including passengers with some simple modifications. The basic Wombat was powered by an electric motor and had a top speed of 140 km/h and a maximum range of 600 kilometers. Most critical to the Wombat's success was the ease in which spare parts and indeed the vehicle itself could be reproduced; as such, Wombats were kept in service for centuries along the frontier, even as more sophisticated vehicles came and interstellar trade improved. Even today, it is possible to see Wombats or Wombat-descended vehicles in use, hauling cargo and passengers about in the poorer parts of the galaxy. The Combat Wombat was the result of wartime necessity, which colonies on the fringe encountered all too often. With the addition of "hillbilly" armor along the sides of the vehicle and improvised turrets and pintle mounts for whatever weapons could be scrounged up, a regular Wombat could easily be transformed into a Combat Wombat. Naturally, there was an endless number of variations on the basic theme, but the one encountered with the most regularity was an armored personel carrier, capable of carrying anywhere from four to thirteen soldiers depending on configuration; artillery Wombats, carrying either cannons or rocket launchers, were also quite common. In addition to modified civilian Wombats, the "Combat Wombat" moniker is also applied to purpose-built vehicles assembled from the ground up mainly using Wombat components. The most famous users of the Combat Wombat by far were the Barbarians, who valued the Wombat's large cargo capacity and general ease of manufacturing; as such, they used fleets of the vehicles to move their equally large conscript forces about on the battlefield. IFV-137 Onyz Infantry Fighting Vehicle Reconaissance Vehicles M23 Puma Force Application Vehicle The M23 Force Application Vehicle, commonly referred to as the Puma, is a light combat vehicle jointly designed by the Shinra Republic and the Holy Empire of Haruhi Suzumiya. Though long since superceded by the M720 Super Puma in Shinra and Haruhiist service, large numbers of Pumas remain in service with minor militaries and private users throughout the K-Zone and beyond, a testament to the design's hardiness, dependability, and basic quality; only a few other vehicles, such as the Wombat utility truck and its descendants, are more numerous. Firerat Armored Car Considered the Yin to the Mudlord's Yang, the Firerat was a lightweight (twelve tonnes) two-man vehicle used by the Barbarians. The Firerat was an electric-powered four-wheeled all-terrain vehicle, with an enviromentally sealed cabin protected against most small arms; it was also capable of extremely high speeds compared to similar vehicles of its generation, with a top speed of 250 km/h. The Firerat had a turret, generally fitted with a 25mm combustion-based autocannon and an autoloading rocket launcher to engage enemy armored vehicles and destroy buildings, although breech-loading mortars, flamethrowers, primitive plasma cannons, and racks of artillery rockets were also common. The first generation of rocket launchers mounted on the Firerat were notoriously temperamental and unreliable weapons, though most problems with the weapons system were rectified by 2569. On some Firerat models, one or two forward mounted Bastard family laser weapons were installed. Other Firerat models were adapted into transports, often by installing an expanded cabin in the rear of the vehicle, though these modified Firerats could only carry four soldiers at most with a significant drop in speed due to the increased weight. In general, the Firerat was a good representative of what was desired of a Barbarian war machine: It was cheap to produce, customizable, and could do a fair amount of damage. However, it had some inherent problems with stability, and it was particularly prone to flipping and tumbling over when making sharp turns at high speeds. During the Barbarians' rule, hundreds of millions of Firerats rolled off the assembly lines, many of which were exported to various small governments and militias. Its electric power cells meant that the vehicle could draw power from any number of sources. Production quality varied immensely; the best and highest-quality Firerats were reserved for the Janissaries and other elite forces, while conscripts had to make do with "monkey" models with little in the way of safety features. After the collapse of the Barbarians, the Firerat persisted in use among Barbarian splinter groups as a fast attack vehicle, where it excelled in raiding minor settlements. Firerat-derived vehicles would also remain common among planetary defense forces, law enforcement groups, and other military and paramilitary organizations on the fringes for the remainder of the third millenium, after which they were replaced with more sophisticated and advanced designs, such as the M23 Puma. Firerat derivatives are now mostly encountered as competitors in demolition derbies and other motorsports. Self-Propelled Rocket Launchers Aerospacecraft Aerospace Fighters Belkan Aerospace Fighters For a relatively minor nation, the Belkan Empire manufactures and fields an extremely wide variety of aerospacecraft, many of which are notable for their uncanny cosmetic resemblance to 20th- and 21st-century Earth and Nova Terran fighter craft. Military analysts in New Anglia, the United Solarian Sovereignty, the Holy Empire of Haruhi Suzumiya, and other nations have classified Belkan aerospace fighters into "generations" based on similarities in design and general capability. First Generation Belkan Aerospace Fighters The predecessors of the Belkan state--the Zeonic Federation, the Zodiac Alliance Treaty Organization, and the Sanc Confederacy--all had some experience with aerospace fighter design, though all three nations ultimately neglected fighter development in favor of emphasizing humanoid mecha, which ultimately led to their downfall at the hands of the Holy Empire of Haruhi Suzumiya during the Zeon-Zodiac War. The first fighter designs produced by the nascent Principality of Belka were thus relatively simple, straightforward, and lacking in much technical sophistication, as Belkan designers and manufacturers underwent crash courses in aerospace fighter development. First generation Belkan designs are typically encountered only in the poorest regions of space in this day and age, used by pirates and planetary defense forces that can't afford better craft. Second Generation Belkan Aerospace Fighters Compared to the simplistic first generation, the second generation of Belkan aerospace fighters represented a quantum leap in performance and capability. Third Generation Belkan Aerospace Fighters Fourth and 4.5 Generation Belkan Aerospace Fighters Fifth Generation Belkan Aerospace Fighters The fifth generation of Belkan aerospace fighters is on par with the latest and greatest designs produced by major nations such as New Anglia, the United Solarian Sovereignty, and the Holy Empire of Haruhi Suzumiya. Double Étendard Strike Fighter The Double Étendard is a French carrier-borne strike fighter aerospacecraft designed for service with the French Navy. The aircraft entered service in 3368 and was first used in combat by the Argenti during the 3372 Balklands War. During the time of the Double Étendard's development, the Fourth French Empire considered the United Star Kingdom of New Anglia to be its greatest threat, and there was an urgent military need to counter the Anglian Royal Navy. The Double Étendard was thus designed as a multi-role aerospacecraft that could operate in any theatre of war, both on- and off-world, and with the new Endocet missile, it could also effectively engage and destroy enemy assets in earth, air and space, up to and including warships (as seen in the Balklands War). Nicknamed the "Double Entendre" by its pilots, the Double Étendard was designed for maximum flexibility and swing-mission capability, hence the "double" in its name. The Étendard is equally adept at fighting in both planetary atmospheres and deep space, with aerodynamic features like swept wings and sleek fuselage and all the necessities of a combat spacecraft like high performance (for its era) ion drives and vectored thrust verniers. Aside from the Endocet, it can also carry a wide variety of weaponry, including not only anti-ship and anti-planetary munitions, but also anti-fighter missiles and guns to make it a respectable dogfighter. These traits have made it a favorite for many star nations' militaries, and while today the Double Étendard is no longer in service in the French Navy itself, many still fly the Étendard proudly, most notably the Argenti Federation. Though aged, with upgrades for avionics, engines and newer weaponry, the Double Étendard remains a competitive and capable fighter and shows no sign of slowing down. F-330 Hawk Fighter Aerospace Support Belkan Heavy Aerospacecraft The Belkans are just as renowned for their heavy aerospacecraft designs as they are for their fighters. Aigaion Gleipnir Gyges Hresvelgr Kottos Orgoi Spiridus G-143 "Firestorm" Gunship FLAAT Other Ikazuchi Aerial Strike Mech Something of an anomaly in the modern age, the Ikazuchi is a decidedly uncommon. Its origins lie in Vanguard Interstellar, a non-aligned PMC that typically does brief contract work in various brushfire wars for planetary-scale governments. Its forces are considered to be fairly high-end and known for quick-strike operations. They do business with a variety of defense companies across the galaxy for their gear, among them being Dawkins-Tsien and Maximillian Munitions, though they have also been known to produce their own equipment. Among their most famous developments was the Ikazuchi Aerial Strike Mech. The Ikazuchi stands eight meters tall and weighs thirteen tonnes. Despite this, it is fully capable of flight, with a maximum airspeed of 600 kilometers per hour using antigrav systems and a backpack-mounted jet engine. On the ground, it is capable of running at up to 150 kilometers per hour. The Ikazuchi's primary armament is a hand-mounted particle beam cannon, which can be used either as an automatic anti-infantry weapon or as a semi-automatic anti-armor weapon (a single concentrated pulse every six seconds) which can penetrate the side and rear armor of most main battle tanks. In addition, it is equipped with a head-mounted machine gun and six hardpoints on the wings for missiles, rocket pods, guided bombs, or other munitions. In terms of defense, its armor is comparable to that to many other light combat vehicles, although it makes use of stealth alloys to make detection more difficult. The pilot operates the vehicle through a combination of biofeedback systems and cybernetic interface. Needless to say, the Ikazuchi is fairly expensive for its size and quite maintinence intensive to operate. Typically it is used for hit-and-run maneuvers in units of four to twenty-four, often making use of storms and other atmospheric disturbances to minimize the chance of detection. Current production is limited to around ten thousand units at most, as only Vanguard Interstellar and a few minor nation-states have adopted these machines. National Indexes Imperial Legion Warmachines The Bragulan method of problem solving eschews finesse and sophistication and instead favors the simplest solutions that would otherwise seem crude and archaic by modern galactic standards if it were not for their undeniable effectiveness. In military matters, for the Brags this often involves the utilization of ridiculously rugged bragsteel machinery, tried and tested technologies proven by centuries of use, and an overwhelming amount of atomic weaponry. In the words of the Supreme Commander of the Imperial Military and Warmaster of the Empire, Imperator Byzon himself, "That's how dad did it, that's how Bragule does it, and it's worked out pretty well so far." USMC Fighting Vehicles USMC doctrine posits that in engagements with the Sovereignty's most likely opponents (the Swarm and the Bragulans) as well as in a potential conflict with its other neighbor (the Imperium), the enemy will enjoy overall firepower superiority and be far more willing to accept attritional losses. The best way to neutralize these traits, the maxim holds, is to maximize operational speed and mobility. This is the theory of positional gravity: that the Corps' superior C4I allows its forces to coordinate faster than the opponent, allowing it to control the decision cycle and force a situation where massed numbers and/or willingness to inaccurately apply excessive force will count against the opponent. Using a highly fluid form of warfare the marines can divide the battlespace into areas that can be individually dominated and 'rolled up' before the opponent has a chance to react. The Corps' enormous fleet of orbital troopships, carryalls, dropships and fast airmobile vehicles means that traditional defensive lines do not apply, and its troops can set an incredibly high pace of operations, falling back whenever an enemy is strong, deep-striking where he is weak, whittling away at more conventional-thinking opponents until their nodal value in the battlespace is brought down to zero. Vehicles of the Commonwealth Army The Commonwealth's Military generally focuses in the area of advanced engineering. Commonwealth equipment is made to tight tollerences, although brute force engineering is still used where deemed useful. Though somewhat more expensive and sometimes more sensitive when compared to the more bare bones and brute strength machines used by certain other powers, the result is typically better efficiency, improved speed and lighter weight equipment doing the same job and allowing for a greater degree of flexibility. Countergravity systems are used quite frequently. Among the more notable features of commonwealth vehicles is that they usually make use of mind/machine interface for controls. Vehicles of the SOS Imperial Armed Forces Category:Ground Forces Category:Military Vehicles